Voter Registration

Not registered? Moved? Changed name? Any other change to voter registration?

Please stop by the Board of Elections office in Bayboro and fill out a revised form. Or do so by mail.

If you want to vote in person on November 6, the deadline to register is October 12.

Voter Registration Deadline

When:  Friday, Oct 12, 2012

Description:  October 12, 2012, 5pm - Voter registration deadline for November 6 General Election. Forms must be postmarked or delivered in person by 5:00 pm today [NCGS 163-82.6(c)] *Individuals who miss the registration deadline may register in person and then vote at one-stop voting sites in the person’s county of residence during the one-stop absentee voting period (October 18-November 3). In order to register during a one-stop period, the applicant must show acceptable proof of name and residence in the county. 

 

Remember: If you miss the deadline, you can always vote during one-stop.

Stakhanovites

The style is unmistakeably "socialist realism."  In the National Review? A blatant copy of a Soviet poster (rolled up sleeves and all) declaring that "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is the Socialist Government of Workers and Peasants."




Pretty heroic pose. What gives? A resurgence of Stakhanovites? Thanks to Solon.com for the connection.

Pretty curious. I have some thoughts, having to do with the real reason for the demise of the Soviet Union and the role of Soviet management style.

Stay tuned.

Absentee Voting

The Pamlico County Board of Elections has received absentee ballots for the 2012 election for President, Vice President, Governor and many other offices.

We will start mailing ballots to voters who requested absentee ballots over the next few days.

Election day may be November 6, but the election has begun.

Sunday Voting

The Pamlico County Board of Elections went to Raleigh yesterday to seek State Board of Elections approval for a plan for One-Stop voting adopted by a majority of board members. Since the plan was not adopted unanimously, it required a hearing before the State Board. A total of nine counties whose plans were not adopted unanimously appeared before the board.

After hearing from of both majority and minority members, the State Board of Elections approved the Pamlico County plan supported by the majority. Therefore we will have voting on two Sunday afternoons during One-stop.

Both sides presented their positions on a well-prepared, rational and amicable basis. There was no hint of acrimony.

The same could not be said of some of the other counties. I came away from the hearing with a feeling of pride for the way our county conducts it business.

Oriental Update Street Closing Dispute

I have received a copy of a request from Oriental's Town Attoney to the Superior Court requesting a thirty day extension to the time for filing a response to my appeal. I did not object.

Seventy Years Ago: At Sea In The Eastern Pacific

A hundred miles west of the Farallon Islands, the troop ship's bow rose and fell as it met the swell generated by a storm thousands of miles across the Pacific.  The ship's sailors seemed not to notice.

Embarked soldiers, stomachs upset by days of railroad food, did their best to keep their food down. Not many succeeded during the rough passage across the bar when they left the Golden Gate.

It was even worse now, in poorly-ventilated troop compartments with bunks stacked four high. A steady stream of soldiers sought relief in what they had learned was the head, not the latrine. Many didn't make it in time. They would have liked to get a breath of fresh air, but there were too many troops and too little deck space.

The privileged few who made it to a topside railing learned the hard way not to barf into the wind. Sometimes they had no choice.

A boatswain's mate piped his whistle and said something unintelligible over the announcing system. Time for evening chow. The soldiers already knew, because they had been smelling the odor of greasy pork chops for more than an hour.

Few made it to the mess hall.

My stepfather, newly-promoted Master Sergeant Cox, was one of them. Not bothered in the slightest by the ship's motion, he ate his fill.

Then he stood his watch with the crew of a 4" gun.

Plenty of fresh air.

Let's Have A Strong Dollar?

Over the past week, I've heard a lot of calls for a "strong dollar."

Strong is good, right?

So who is a strong dollar good for?

For that matter, what is a "strong dollar?"

A "strong dollar" is a dollar with a high value relative to other currencies.

For whom is this good?

It's good for China. They get to make lots of stuff and sell it to us, because their prices are lower than our "strong dollar" prices.

It's good for Germany. They don't have to buy as much of our stuff to be able to sell us Mercedes', BMW's and Braun appliances.

It's good for India, Indonesia and Mexico.

Is it good for Americans? A strong dollar would be good for those who travel abroad. When I plan my next trip to Europe,  I want the dollar to be "strong." What I have to spend for hotels and travel, etc. will be lower.

But for anyone in the export business or in the US tourist industry, a strong dollar is bad.

It raises the price to foreigners of American goods and services.

If you are an American and make stuff for foreign markets, you don't want a strong dollar.

If you make stuff for ordinary Americans to buy, you don't want a strong dollar.

If you are a financier, who only makes deals, not product, you do want a strong dollar. It lets you outsource offshore.

It lets you drive down any salaries you have to pay in this country.

If you are in the top one percent, of course a strong dollar is good!

Democracy And Its Discontents

It seems that elections sometimes bring out the least thoughtful contributions to public discourse.

This is not just an American affliction. Folks across the Pond with whom we claim a "special relation" share the problem.

Here are some interesting thoughts on political discourse.

As always, it is good to read the comments as well as the blog posting. It helps get your mind around the problem.